Kono's Beefy Brown Gravy

This quick and easy recipe taste like slow roasted pan dripping gravy. 

Cheesy Hash Brown Potato Souffle

Cheesy Hash Brown Potato Souffle

I've said it before and I’ll say it again - how can something so simple, taste so good?

How long do you cook sweet potatoes and yams?

20 - 30 min.

Yams and sweet potatoes, as well as regular potatoes take about 20 - 30 minutes to steam (when using whole potatoes) .  When I say steam, I'm referring to the potatoes being over boiling water versus in the water itself.

This was a really good question and I thought I should share it because even though it seems simple - which it is, it needed an answer.

Potato Leek Hash with Swiss Chard and Eggs

Photo from My Recipes

Have you ever gone to the farmers market and couldn't stop yourself from gathering up an excessive amount of fresh vegetables only to realize when you got home that you had more than you could eat in a week?

Oven Baked Fries

This recipe comes straight from the experts at Cook’s Illustrated.  I have been making potato wedge fries in the oven using this method for years and I am thankful that they did all the homework for me in Americas Test Kitchen.  This recipe makes fries that have a creamy center with a nice surface crunch.  Eliminating the unwelcomed pot of oil that splatters all over the kitchen leaving yet another level of clean up to go along with the unpleasant question, “Now what do I do with all that oil”?

Easy Cheezy Scalloped Potatoes

A short stack of thinly sliced potatoes just about an inch high, laced with a lightly seasoned cream then topped with sharp cheddar and parmesan cheese that gets brown and bubbly in the oven. 

Chile Verdes

Chile Verdes with boiled potatoes

The delicious fork tender chunks of pork swimming in a bath of spicy green tomatillo sauce is truly an addiction for me.

My not so secret to this recipe is a can of Las Palmas Green Chile Enchilada Sauce jazzed up with onions, garlic, chilis and oregano. My favorite way to eat chile verde is simply with potatoes and cheese. A spoon in one hand and a tortilla or a quesadilla in the other. I'm a simple woman.

I also like to wrap the chile verdes, potatoes and cheese in flour tortillas, burrito style and grill them in a lightly greased non-stick pan so they get crispy. And if you have leftovers, pre-wrap burritos and freeze them for a quick microwave meal.

CHILE VERDES

2          pounds            pork butt or shoulder, cubed small

¼         tsp.                  dried oregano

1          tsp.                  kosher salt

¼         tsp.                  black pepper

1          large                onion, chopped small

2          cloves              garlic, minced

1 -3      large                serrano chili, minced

28        ounce can       Las Palmas Green Chile Enchilada Sauce

1. Cut the pork into small cubes.  Chop onions and mince garlic and Serrano.
2. Heat a heavy bottom pot over med high heat and add 2 Tbsp. oil.  Brown meat on all sides and season with oregano, salt and pepper.
3. Add onions, garlic and serrano.  Cook until onions are soft and fragrant.
4. Add green chile sauce; bring to a boil; cover and let simmer for 1 hour or until pork chunks are fork tender.  Uncover and let cook for another 15 minutes to let the sauce thicken.

NOTES:

•  If you are serving this with potatoes - cube up 3-4 medium sized russet potatoes and boil in salted water for about 8 minutes. Drain and add to your pork or place potatoes in a bowl and spoon chile verde over. Any potato will work but I prefer russet potatoes because they are dryer and flakier which makes them thirsty and ready to soak up the spicy green tomatillo sauce.
• Depending on what your spice meter can handle will determine how many serrano's you need to add to this dish. One medium serrano chili will give you a mild finish, two will give you a medium spicy, while three will defiantly give you a fiery finish. I prefer to remove the seeds because I have a wimpy spice tolerance, but if you like it HOT, leave the seeds in.

Haole Potato Salad

Haole Potato Salad

It’s about 33 degrees outside, but dry, and I felt like eating a cheeseburger.  I put Kono in charge of the BBQ and I was in charge of the condiments and sides.  Fries and chips would have been a no brainer but I couldn’t bring myself to do it because the residual grease from Kono’s Chinese take- out the other night is still sticking around like an unwanted guest. That’s when I decided to make potato salad.

Mashed Potatoes

PRINT RECIPE

Do you really need a recipe for mashed potatoes?  The Barefoot Contessa has a deliciously rich mashed potato recipe in her Family Style cookbook that got wonderful reviews.  But as I said earlier...is a recipe truly necessary?

Potatoes?

When I buy potatoes I always look for similar sizes so they will cook evenly.

Corned Beef Hash

This is my son’s favorite breakfast. Corned beef hash over rice, topped with a fried egg and smothered with his special condiment (ketchup).

Potato Casserole with Sour Cream

PRINT RECIPE

My friend Bridgette brought this casserole to a bbq, too many years ago to count. It was so simple, yet, it was packed with flavor. Almost like a fully loaded baked potato without the bacon. I made it as a side dish to go along with BBQ CHICKEN.